Text of Brett for VP election leaflet

This is the text from the leaflet distributed throughout the plant on Thursday, May 7th:

Vote Brett Hoven for Vice President
A new voice for a new era

Who am I?
24 years old
TPT with 2 years seniority
Paint dept zone F
Community activist in labor solidarity, anti-war and lgbt rights movements

My name is Brett and I’m running for Vice President. I opposed the introduction of entry-level wages in the 2007 contract, which is a clear strategy to divide workers and destroy solidarity.

My father has worked in TCAP for over 24 years; my stepmom just retired last year. I was raised on union wages and benefits and I would like to see future generations have the same opportunity.

I’ve met auto activists from around the country and world, from Detroit to Berlin. We’re all facing the same problems. If we are going to stop any more attacks on our wages and living standards, we have to work together to defend all autoworkers. That’s what “solidarity” is all about. We need leaders with a spirit of self-sacrifice for the greater good.

If elected, I will refuse to accept more than the average wage of a TCAP worker. I will voluntarily donate everything above that to a suitable labor or community organization.


How can we save the auto industry?

We’re in the middle of the biggest economic crisis since the 1930s. We’ve seen trillions given to the banks while millions of workers are losing their jobs. Against this background, the auto industry has collapsed.

The Big Three are going through a painful restructuring process. Workers are being made to pay for the mistakes of the CEOs. Chrysler is now going through bankruptcy and GM just announced over 20,000 new job cuts.

In this recession, we can’t afford to lose more jobs or suffer more attacks that further undermine workers’ ability to buy new cars. The strategy of the UAW leadership has been to put up token resistance to cuts, but ultimately to accept that we have to make cuts.

We need a new strategy and a new plan to confront this radically different situation. Things aren’t going to go back to the way they were anytime soon. But we should look at this not only as a time of crisis, but also an opportunity. Billions of dollars are being invested by the government right now to produce green technologies. We should be fighting for this money to be invested in keeping our plant open and saving our jobs.

If I am elected, I will use my skills and experience as a community activist/organizer to do everything possible to build the kind of movement that is capable of doing this. It wouldn’t be easy, but if we mobilize our membership, organize community support and develop a clear plan, it is possible.

These are extraordinary times. We need a vision and a plan to take advantage of the changes taking place in society.